Migraines & headaches decisions — 2022

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The hernia disability, abdominal scar, fibromyalgia, acquired psychiatric disability (pending), left shoulder disability (pending), right shoulder disability (pending), left arm disability (pending), right arm disability (pending), left elbow disability (pending), right elbow disability (pending), disability of the small finger, left hand (pending), cervical spine disability (pending), left ankle disability (pending), right ankle disability (pending), left foot skin disability (pending), and right foot skin disability (pending) were not granted. The Veteran's claims for service connection for sinus disability (pending), bilateral eye disability (pending), disability of the left eye cornea (pending), bilateral hearing loss disability (pending), tinnitus (pending), vertigo (pending), headaches (pending), and sleep apnea (pending) are pending.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his service-connected scar has been denied. The effective dates for the awards of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and for the right knee scar have also been denied.,Claims for service connection for skin cancer, hypothyroidism, neck/cervical spine disability, and headaches are remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to inadequate development and examination. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, hypertension, sleep apnea, and headaches are all being reviewed.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for TBI, hearing loss, tinnitus, a lung condition due to asbestos exposure, and non-prostrating posttraumatic headaches. The cases are being remanded because the examinations conducted were not by specialists in psychiatry, neurology, or neurosurgery as required by VA policy for TBI claims.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for migraines was granted, with the effective date set at November 7, 2014.,The Veteran also received an increased TDIU rating, effective from November 7, 2014.

The Veteran's thoracic and lumbar spine disorder, headaches including migraines with aura, and neurological disorder of the left arm are all found to be secondary to his service-connected right knee strain, DJD (arthritis) of the cervical spine with IVDS, and radiculopathy with CTS of the right upper extremity.,The Veteran's heart disorder is also found to be secondary to his service-connected hypertension.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of groin surgery, headache disability, degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, and degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine have been granted.,Left lower extremity radiculopathy secondary to degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is also granted.

The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of allergic rhinitis, headaches, and sinusitis were denied as there was no clear and unmistakable error in the prior rating decisions.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient development of evidence regarding service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, specifically addressing secondary and aggravation theories. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are believed to be contributing factors.

The Board denied service connection for a left foot disorder and migraine headaches, finding no current disability related to service.,Service connection was also denied for migraine headaches due to the Veteran's service-connected trapezius strain.

The Veteran's bilateral hand essential tremors were granted service connection on a direct basis. The issues of malaria, immunodeficiency disorder, chronic bronchitis, left thumb sprain, right ankle strain, left ankle strain, right knee strain, left knee strain with limitation of extension, thoracic spine degenerative disc disease and lumbar strain, left hip strain, and post traumatic headaches are all pending.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, ischemic heart disease, chronic headaches, and residuals of a heat stroke has been granted. The case is remanded for further examination regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to new evidence submitted after a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC).

The Board has granted service connection for a left knee disability, a headache disorder, and major depressive disorder as secondary to the headache disorder. The conditions are found to be at least as likely as not related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for his neurobehavioral disorder, including facial numbness, incoordination, balance issues, speech issues, and headaches, as well as any potential link to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for service-connected migraine headaches is remanded due to the need for additional medical records and an addendum opinion.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal because his May 2016 substantive appeal was not timely filed, as it came in over 100 days after the appeals period ended. The presumption of regularity in mailing the SOC has not been rebutted.

The Board has granted a 50 percent rating for migraine headaches, finding that the Veteran's very frequent and prolonged attacks of headache pain meet the criteria for this rating.

The Board has remanded the claims for hearing loss, tension headaches, and traumatic brain injury due to new evidence of worsening symptoms. The Veteran will need to undergo updated evaluations for these conditions.

The Veteran's headaches were not found to meet the criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 8100.,There is no evidence of rheumatoid arthritis during the appeal period, and thus service connection was denied.